ICT TIPS & TRICKS

FAQs related to Computer Care

10 Essential Computer Maintenance Tips
Maintain Your Desktop
Energy Saving Tips to Reduce Workplace Energy Costs
How to Keep Your Laptop Battery in Good Condition
Analog vs. Digital
Protect Eye from Computer / Notebook Screen
Cyber Security Tips: Avoid Phishing Attacks
Artificial intelligence (AI)
How do I check if my email is spam?
How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive

10 Essential Computer Maintenance Tips

Today’s computers come in many different shapes and sizes, and each keeps us connected to our digital world at any given time. Whether you depend on your collection of devices for work or play, keeping them in impeccable, unblemished condition is of the utmost importance. From their cosmetic appeal to their operational functionality, a well-maintained computer looks good, lasts longer, and performs reliably.

Keeping your PC in tip-top condition lengthens the life of your PC, both internally and externally. A glitchy operating system, overheating CPU, or fast-draining battery are avoidable computer woes that a bit of regular maintenance could defend against. Let’s take a look at these 10 essential maintenance tips, so your PC will see many more years of powerful performance and sleek appeal.

1. Protect with padding

Everyone has been there; drops, bumps, and slips result in unsightly cosmetic dings that leave your computer looking less-than-loved. If you’re like most people who travel with their PC, safeguarding against accidents can feel next to impossible when packing your PC away into a carry-on. An exposed laptop is vulnerable to all of the elements of travel you likely want to protect it from.

Whether you’re traveling business-class or to a classroom across campus, shielding your PC against the elements starts with a protective case. There are a few different styles of protection that offer differing levels of armor and functionality. These include:

SKINS

Functioning as a full-body laptop sticker, laptop skins are best for protecting the chassis from light damage and scratches.

HARDSHELL SNAP-ON COVERS

Polycarbonate, plastic, or rubberized hard shell laptop covers protect your PC while still granting easy access to ports, buttons, lights, and fans.

SLEEVES

A simple, soft, envelope-style pouch typically made of gentle materials like nylon, polyester, suede, or microfiber, laptop sleeves are lightweight protection.

MESSENGER BAG

A shoulder bag specifically designed to accommodate your laptop and necessary peripherals, the dedicated laptop messenger bag offers the most padded protection.

2. Organize cords

The only thing more frustrating than dealing with long, confusing cables is getting them all mixed up and tangled in the process. Keeping your digital world connected is a must, so nixing the cables isn’t a feasible option. Taking the time to declutter and organize the snake-like mass of wires spawning from your power strip and PC ports is a great first step for both desktop and laptop users. Try these wire organization tips:

A ROTATING POWER STRIP

Traditional power strips offer a single line or panel of surge inputs. A rotating power strip gives you the freedom to modify the positioning of your many chargers, monitors, and docks.

COLOR-CODING CABLES

Computer cables tend to be two colors; black and white. Organizing your mess of wires may be as simple as color coding them with reds, blues, yellows, greens, and or using labels in distinguishable hues.

CABLE CLIPS

Wire management is made simple when you attach cable clips to your desk, wall, or floor. These small clips are designed to hold cables of all different sizes.

ORGANIZER PANEL

Functioning as a panel of cable clips, a wire organizer panel accommodates multiple wires. Stick it in place with an adhesive or keep it desk-side when you use a weighted panel.

Pro tip: Be sure to keep your wires away from any footpaths. Tripping over wires could result in the toppling of your devices, doing more damage in an instant than years of use could ever do.

3. Update your operating system

If you’re looking for basic computer maintenance, keeping your operating system up to date is one of the easiest solutions. Regardless of whether you’re a Windows, Mac, or Linux loyalist, updating your PC when new patches are available ensures your PC stays at the cutting-edge of performance power.

Windows 10 is known for keeping users in-tune with once-a-day update checks. This automated scan occurs in the background and always notifies you if there are any important software or operating system patches that need to be made. The end goal is to optimize your PC performance, so when Windows suggests you update, you should do it.

Pro-tip: Some updates take longer than others. Set aside time before bedtime or during a daytime break to let Windows do its thing without interrupting your workflow.

4. Unplug to avoid overcharging

With heightened dependence on wireless devices, optimizing battery power is a top priority for many. There are few things more dreadful than a draining battery when you’ve got hours of work and play left on your day’s schedule. However, it’s better to resist the temptation of plugging in the moment your PC falls under 50% battery life.

Unnecessary charging can lead to overcharging, which then leads to regenerative capability deterioration. This often looks like a laptop that can’t hold a charge as well as it could in its earlier days.

Being shackled to the weight of a charger defeats the purpose of a laptop’s wireless portability. To avoid a bad battery fate, unplug your device after it reaches 100% charge, and don’t plug in until power is actually low.

5. Purge your system of junk files and programs

Computers tend to show their age best in the number of unused files living on their hard drives. Useless programs and old junk files likely take up more space than you realize. From old versions of software to retired versions of your resume, your PC is sure to have its fair share of digital debris festering on your desktop or in your start menu. These programs and files can quickly turn into performance hogs if they continue to accumulate.

Before your computer gets to a point where it’s begging for more storage space, use these PC purge tips to relieve your system.

Uninstall trialware
Run disk cleanup software
Empty the recycle bin
Delete temporary files
Remove cache of offline web pages

6. Run regular antivirus scans

Malware attacks can sneak up on you at any given moment, and in the event one does, having a savvy antivirus living on your PC will protect you against the damage viruses bring. Weekly antivirus scans ensure your computer is always clear of malicious software infections. A basic scan will examine your computer for any glaring dangers or outstanding activity.

For those who are frequent web-users and download programs and files regularly, consider running a virus scan twice a week. It’s always better to err on the side of safety, especially when your personal data could be at risk.

Malware infections can compromise the performance of your computer and expose your confidential information to third-party cybercriminals. Depending on the type of malware installed on your system, a virus could also:

Slow web browser speeds
Disrupt network connections
Freeze or crash your system
Alter computer settings
Allow unauthorized access to system resources

By running regular antivirus scans you can rest assured that nothing slips by. Be sure to choose an antivirus scan servicer that also scans all of your downloads, too.

7. Clean the keyboard and case

You’d be surprised to see just how much dust and debris lives underneath your keyboard’s keys. From food crumbs and dog hairs to dust and dirt, and everything else that can fit in between the keys, a number of dirty particles can clog your keyboard. This usually results in sticky or difficult-to-press buttons.

Clearing out these hard-to-reach parts of your laptop or desktop setup is most easily done with a compressed air canister, available from office supply stores, computer stores, and hardware stores.

FOR EXTERNAL KEYBOARDS

Unplug the keyboard from the USB port or power it off if it’s wireless. Tilt the keyboard upside down and shake any loose debris out first. Spray compressed air at an angle and approximately 1-inch away from the keys. Use a damp microfiber cloth to finish the job, removing any excess dust or grime.

FOR THE LAPTOP USER

Power your laptop off and unplug any USB or power supply inputs. Tilt the laptop upside down and gently tap it to encourage any loose debris to come out. Set the laptop down in its natural position and spray between keys from about 1-inch away. Spray in short bursts moving from one side of the keyboard to the other.

If you find certain spots tougher to clean than others, use a cotton ball dipped in isopropyl alcohol as a great alternative. Alcohol evaporates more quickly than water which makes it the perfect solution for hardened debris.

Pro-tip: When cleaning your laptop or desktop, absolutely avoid pouring any type of liquid onto the body. Water and electronic devices do not mix well and could result in extreme damage to your computer.

8. Update your passwords

Believe it or not, updating your passwords is a task as crucial as backing up your data. Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report found that an alarming 81% of hacking-related breaches leveraged either stolen and/or weak passwords [1]. Poor password behavior encompasses everything from using the same password for every account to using simple, guessable passwords like “password” or “123456.”

When it comes to basic computer maintenance, protecting your digital world against cybercriminals should always be at the forefront of your task list. No security system is perfect, and more today than ever before, consumers are realizing this on a large scale.

If you’re overdue for a password update, consider using these strong password generation tips:

Use at least 10 characters
Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters
Include both numbers and special symbols
Add emoticons if possible (:O, :(, :D, :), T.T)

A strong password safeguards all of your data against potential third-party hackers which is precisely why it’s such an essential part of computer maintenance.

9. Organize your data

It’s easy to let your computer’s data organization run awry when your work and play lifestyle doesn’t leave much time for calculated file management. Whether it’s old music files from your garage band days or downloaded add-ons for your favorite simulation game, your PC’s many folders can grow crowded.

If you can’t remember the last time you took a look through your downloads folder, you’re likely overdue for a visit. The same applies to the rest of your default folders (documents, photos, etc.).

Dealing with a cluttered desktop or crowded computer folders may be a daunting task, but with these tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to a functioning system of files and folders.

CREATE LARGE, MAIN FOLDERS

Everyone uses their computers for different primary purposes. A freelance writer will likely have completely different main folder assignments than a professional gamer or a business owner. It’s important to narrow down your digital world into easy folder divisions to make your first round of organization a breeze, and your future rounds even easier.

CREATE SMALL SUB-FOLDERS

Within your larger primary folders, smaller sub-folders make your organization operation even smoother. Being able to categorize files by their functionality or content will help you access them whenever you need them. No search button necessary.

EMPTY YOUR DOWNLOADS FOLDER

Your downloads folder should function as a temporary cache for recently downloaded files. Get into the habit of placing recent downloads in their proper folders or deleting them once they’ve served their purpose.

CLEAR YOUR DESKTOP

When you power on your computer and saddle up for your day’s work or some light social media browsing, you want to be able to do so without the stress of clutter. Clear your desktop of any files, folders, or programs you don’t need readily available at every power-on.

CHOOSE THOUGHTFUL FILENAMES

If you’re frequently saving images, PDFs, and other common files, you know how easy it is to type in gibberish for a successful “Save As” operation. Instead of rushing through, take the time to come up with intentional file names so you always know what’s living on your hard drive and where it’s located.

10. Back up your data

Part of owning a modern computer is to prepare for the unexpected. Sudden crashes, untimely glitches, and random hardware failure all have the potential to damage the data living on your PC. Backing up files is one of the most vital computer maintenance procedures PC users can do for themselves. That’s why we’ve ranked it at our final spot. Your computer is replaceable, but without a backup, your information is not.

Full backups are usually done on storage-heavy external hard drives and on the cloud. By making duplicate copies of everything on your PC (actually having your data in 3 places is safest), all of your valuable data lives both on your computer and inside of the external drive or cloud.

Check out our Knowledge Base guide for a comprehensive walkthrough on how to perform a full backup on your Windows 10 or Windows 8 PC.

Maintain Your Desktop

Physical Care
Computers include various sensitive internal structures, and it’s important to protect
the physical wellbeing of your PC to maintain the internal components that make it run:

• Regularly clean and dust. Make sure you take the time to clean your PC of
dust and debris on a regular basis. Most electronics stores carry cans of
compressed air that are perfect for clearing out the dust and crumbs hiding
under the keys of your keyboard. Additionally, dust that collects in the air
vents of your PC could cause overheating. Try to make it a monthly habit to clean your PC’s air vents, connection ports,
and keyboard with compressed air. Additionally, you should wipe down your
mouse and computer casing with a cleaning cloth. However, do not use
abrasive cleaners – a clean, dry microfiber cloth will do.
• Inspect power supply and devices. You more than likely use surge protectors
or similar devices to power your computer. It’s crucial to make sure these
devices stay in safe working order. You should regularly check your power
supply and power outlets and look for any signs of dust or moisture
accumulation – either could be serious hazards.
Make it a point to check the power cords and other cables attached to your PC
for signs of damage or fraying. Such damage can interfere with your PC’s
performance and is a fire hazard.

Internal Performance
Cleaning your computer internally means maintaining your system to ensure optimal
performance. Additionally, proper maintenance will help keep your files secure. A
poorly maintained or rarely updated system is more vulnerable to sophisticated hacking
methods.
Try to make a few things part of your daily routine:

• Run antivirus. Your computer may have vulnerabilities that you don’t notice
until it’s too late. It’s important to run your antivirus scan every day to make
sure any changes you made or files you downloaded have not compromised
your system. Additionally, some malicious programs embed into systems
without warning and require specific actions to trigger. Scanning your system
daily will help prevent this.
• Scan hard disk files. Over time, your computer’s hard drive can slow down due
to cluttered files. When you scan your system for errors using a disk
defragmenter or similar program, you’re essentially eliminating wasted space
and helping your PC run more efficiently.
• Update data backups. You should have at least one method for backing up
your data, whether it is on a cloud storage server or an external hard drive.
Make sure you take the time to update your backups every day. That way you
won’t have to worry about losing a day’s work in the event your PC
unexpectedly crashes.
• Clear your web browser. Every time you go online, the sites you visit store
temporary files such as cookies and browsing history. Clear these files out
to help keep them from bogging down your system.
• Shut down properly. At the end of the day, make sure you save your work
before closing all your programs and shutting down your PC. Leaving your PC
on when not in use for extended periods prevents it from cooling and can
impact the machine’s performance. If shutting down interferes with your daily
routine or business requirements, put your computer into a low-power or
hibernation mode instead.

Energy Saving Tips to Reduce Workplace Energy Costs

Establish energy-efficient practices: Depending on the utility company you are paying, they usually have off to high peak times during the day. Try your best to only use excess energy during the low or off-peak times. Encourage your employees to follow this same model and see how energy usage decreases with more initiative.

Replace existing bulbs with CFL’s: CFL and LED lights consume less power and offer much longer lifespans. Commercial lights qualified by the Design Lights Consortium (DLC) or Energy Star can ever reduce energy consumption by up to 75% and increase the lifespan of your fixtures by 2-3 times.

Use the hibernation feature of computers and laptops: Hibernate feature in laptops and desktops allows you to save your existing work as it is, and you can continue from the same point the next day. Schedule your workstation to switch to hibernate mode after working hours and during weekends.

Buy energy-efficient devices: Energy-efficient devices cost more upfront, but over years of use, they’re going to save you money. This holds true for any equipment that runs on electricity – spending a little more can result in significant savings over the years.

Use energy-saving features: Educate your employees regarding energy-saving features of air conditioners, printers and let them use those features to cut energy costs. Discard old gadgets if they don’t have it and buy energy-efficient peripherals.

How to Keep Your Laptop Battery in Good Condition

Here’s the best advice for keeping your laptop battery running as long as it

can on its little pack full of chemicals. Don’t worry if you can’t swear an oath to

them: like 8 cups of water a day, or 10,000 steps, they’re guidelines, and your

life may have present exceptions. But following as many as you will yield.

good results over years of use.

Keep It Between 40 and 80 Percent Charge
If You Leave It Plugged In, Don’t Let It Run Hot
Keep It Ventilated, Store It Somewhere Cool
Don’t Let It Get to Zero
Replace Your Battery When It Gets Below 80 Percent Health

Laptops are not good to keep on your lap. Because of their compact

size and lack of large cooling fans, laptops can get quite hot, to the

point of causing gradual skin burns, or “toasted skin syndrome.” If non-

toasted skin weren’t incentive enough, the heat your thighs create by

trapping heat and blocking vents is also killing the laptop battery.

Analog vs. Digital

Analog Digital

Signal Analog signal is a continuous signal which represents physical measurements.

Digital signals are discrete time signals generated by digital modulation.
Waves Denoted by sine waves Denoted by square waves

Representation
Uses continuous range of values to represent information

Uses discrete or discontinuous values to represent information

Example Human voice in air, analogue electronic devices.

Computers, CDs, DVDs, and other digital electronic devices.

Technology Analog technology records waveforms as they are.

Samples analogue waveforms into a limited set of numbers and records them.

Data transmissions

Subjected to deterioration by noise during transmission and write/read cycle.

Can be noise-immune without deterioration during transmission and write/read cycle.

Response to Noise

More likely to get affected reducing accuracy

Less affected since noise response are analogy in nature
Flexibility Analog hardware is not flexible. Digital hardware is flexible in implementation.

Uses Can be used in analogue devices only. Best suited for audio and video transmission.

Best suited for Computing and digital electronics.

Applications Thermometer PCs, PDAs

Bandwidth Analog signal processing can be done in real time and consumes less bandwidth.

There is no guarantee that digital signal processing can be done in real time and consumes more bandwidth to carry out the
same information.

Memory Stored in the form of wave signal Stored in the form of binary bit
Power Analog instrument draws large power Digital instrument draws only negligible

power

Cost Low cost and portable Cost is high and not easily portable
Impedance Low High order of 100 megaohm
Errors

Analog instruments usually have a scale which is cramped at lower end and give
considerable observational errors.

Digital instruments are free from observational errors like parallax and
approximation errors.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Analog_vs_Digital

Protect Eye from Computer / Notebook Screen

Can Screens Make Your Eyesight Worse?

Digital Eye Strain (DES), or computer vision syndrome, is more common today than ever before. Realistically, virtually everyone uses a screen in their daily life, and screen time is higher than ever before.

While not everyone spends every day looking at a computer monitor, most people do use smartphones at a minimum. Experts believe that DES occurs in around 50% of computer users.

So, do screens make your eyesight worse? Well, the good news is that eye strain isn't a long-term problem.

There's no evidence that strain makes your eyesight worse in the long run, but it can cause significant discomfort and often makes getting through a workday more difficult.

How A Computer Screen Affects Your Eyes

How exactly does the screen affect your eyes? There are several signs to look out for, and they vary slightly depending on whether you primarily use a computer or a smartphone. Let’s take a look at some of those complaints and explore how you can avoid them. The American Optometric Association recognizes the most common symptoms of eye strain as:

Headaches
Blurred vision
Dry eyes
In extreme cases, neck and shoulder pain.

How To Protect Your Eyes From Computer Screens

Your eyes aren’t designed to stare all day at something directly in front of you, especially a digital screen. With the 20/20/20 rule, you give your eyes a much-needed break during long and extended work days.

The rule is as follows; if you look at the screen for 20 minutes, you must look at something at least 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds. However, the longer you look away from your screen, the better!

Ensure Your Room Is Well Lit

It may sound counterintuitive, but less light in your room is actually better for your eyes when you’re working on a computer. Offices shouldn’t be too bright, so when possible, close your curtains and reduce your use of fluorescent lighting.
Aim to use lower voltage bulbs and make sure your ambient lighting is about half as bright as the average office.

_{Have Regular Eye Exams}

Regular eye exams with an experienced eye doctor help to keep your eye health in check and ensure any problems you might be having aren’t anything other than normal eye strain. It also provides you with an excellent opportunity to talk to an expert about your habits and eye health.

Reduce Glare

Glare on your computer screen can cause eye strain as it stops your eyes from adjusting as easily as they should to the content you’re trying to focus on.

To combat this, use an anti-glare matte screen where possible (rather than glass-covered LCDs). If you wear glasses, make sure your lenses have an anti-reflective coating that will benefit you in front of a computer.

Cyber Security Tips: Avoid Phishing Attacks

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI)

What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer
systems. Specific applications of AI include expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition
and machine vision.

How does AI work?
As the hype around AI has accelerated, vendors have been scrambling to promote how their products and
services use it. Often, what they refer to as AI is simply a component of the technology, such as machine
learning. AI requires a foundation of specialized hardware and software for writing and training machine
learning algorithms. No single programming language is synonymous with AI, but Python, R, Java, C++ and
Julia have features popular with AI developers.

In general, AI systems work by ingesting large amounts of labeled training data, analyzing the data for
correlations and patterns, and using these patterns to make predictions about future states. In this way, a chatbot
that is fed examples of text can learn to generate lifelike exchanges with people, or an image recognition tool
can learn to identify and describe objects in images by reviewing millions of examples. New, rapidly improving
generative AI techniques can create realistic text, images, music and other media.

AI programming focuses on cognitive skills that include the following:
 Learning. This aspect of AI programming focuses on acquiring data and creating rules for how to turn
it into actionable information. The rules, which are called algorithms, provide computing devices with
step-by-step instructions for how to complete a specific task.
 Reasoning. This aspect of AI programming focuses on choosing the right algorithm to reach a desired
outcome.
 Self-correction. This aspect of AI programming is designed to continually fine-tune algorithms and
ensure they provide the most accurate results possible.
 Creativity. This aspect of AI uses neural networks, rules-based systems, statistical methods and other
AI techniques to generate new images, new text, new music and new ideas.

How do I check if my email is spam?

Here are some additional tips to help you identify and avoid spam emails:

Check the sender information: Verify that the email is coming from a legitimate source. If the sender’s email address looks suspicious or unfamiliar, it’s best to avoid opening the email or clicking on any links.
Check the content: Look for any spelling or grammar errors in the email. Legitimate emails are usually well-written and free of errors.
Check the links: Hover over any links in the email to see where they lead. If the link looks suspicious or leads to an unfamiliar website, do not click on it.
Check the salutation and signature: Legitimate emails usually include a proper salutation and signature. If the email does not include these elements, it may be a spam email.
Check the spam score: You can use an email checker tool to check the spam score of an email. This tool analyzes the email content, sender ID, SPF records, DNS settings, IP blacklisting, domain reputation, domain keys, DKIM, and PTR records to determine if the email is spam or not.

I hope these tips help you stay safe online!

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage service, which becomes a popular online service that many peoples use it to sync data, back up and transfer. What if one day you delete your important files but you want to recover, how should you do? Don't worry, this post offers you 4 ways to recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive.

Part 1: Is it Possible to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive

You may want to ask "Can you recover permanently deleted files on Google Drive". Yes. Deleted videos, photos and presentations are automatically added to Google Drive Trash, which can restore about 30 days. But how do I recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive after 30 days? If you empty the recycle bin, there are still other ways to recover permanently deleted files on Google Drive, such as using the third-party software.

Part 2: 4 Ways to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive

Here are 4 ways to help you restore permanently deleted files from Google Drive no matter you have backup or not.

Way 1: How to Recover Deleted Files from Google Drive Trash?

The easiest way to retrieve permanently deleted files on Google Drive is by restoring it from the Trash folder. How long does Google Drive Trash keep deleted files? All erased files are temporarily stored in Trash within 30 days. Here are the steps to restore deleted files from Trash:

Step 1. Just go to Google Drive.com, click the "Trash" option on the left side.
Step 2. Select the files you need.
Step 3. Right click the files and choose the "Restore" option.

Way 2: Try Software to Restore Permanently Deleted Files Google Drive

If you have installed Google Drive on computer before and have synced your files on computer to Google drive, then you can try to use the professional tool -Windows Data Recovery to retrieve deleted files by scanning the folder where Google Drive is placed on the computer.

Step 1Launch Any data recovery software on your computer and choose a location where Google Drive sync your files. Click "Scan" to scan lost files
Step 2After the scan is finished, you can check if the lost files are displayed in file view.
Step 3Preview lost files and then click "Recover" button. And choose a location to save.

Way 3: Contact Google Drive Support to Get Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive

This is another method of recovering permanently deleted files from Google Drive. You should use this method if you are having difficulty recovering your deleted files via other methods.

1. Open Google Drive website and click on the "?" icon.
2. Click on the "Send feedback".

3. Fill in the form stating your requirement and submit it. Google Drive support team will contact you later, and you can tell them you wish, they will help you recover the lost files

Bonus Tip: How to Use Google's Backup and Sync

Google has some applications that can performs a backup. Although these apps are not very professional, they can help users preserve the Google Drive data for an unlimited time period or back up Google Drive to an external hard drive.

How to download your Google Drive folders with Backup and Sync Client? Here are steps:

Step 1Go to Google drive website to download the Backup and Sync app.
Step 2 Launch the app and log in with your Google account. Once you sign in successfully, a window will pop up, in which you can choose the folders to continuously back up to Google Drive. Then Click "Next" button.

Step 3Click on the "Got it" button.
Step 4Choose the option "Sync My Drive to this computer"
Step 5Select a local folder to place your downloaded Drive files.
Step 6Tick "Sync everything in My Drive" if you need to sync the whole Drive; If not, select "Sync only these folders" to back up selected folders.
Step7Click the "START" button. After that, you can copy all the downloaded files and save in another folder or device.

Conclusion

There are 3 ways to restore permanently deleted files on Google Drive . You can get deleted files back from Trash, ask the administrator for help, or contact Google's support team. But if you have installed Google Drive on your computer, using Windows Data Recovery can help you recover permanently deleted files with ease.